2012 NBA Summer League: Day 10

The Milwaukee Bucks punished the Chicago Bulls 113-68 to start the final day of this year’s summer league. The Bucks big 3 of Tobias Harris, John Henson & Doron Lamb all impressed in their final game, taking the Bucks record to 4-1. Point Guard Aaron Miles threatened to break Marcus Williams summer league assist record of 17, and may have done so had he played the 4th quarter. He dished out an impressive 13 (no turnovers) in just 18 minutes of play.

Harris again led the scoring for Milwaukee with 18 points on 7/13 shooting. He took advantage of poor Chicago transition defense for a couple of fast break baskets. He also added 3 rebounds 1 assist 1 steal and 2 blocks. Henson just missed the 1 shot on his way to 16 points. Henson showed he is comfortable hitting the baseline jumper and uses his left hand well when close to the basket. He put up some ugly free throws however, missing all 4 attempts. Lamb again played good team ball, hits some outside shots for his 16 points 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Miles was excellent in his final game, nicely setting up his teammates. He didn’t over dribble and made good decisions with the ball. He isn’t much of a threat offensively which may prevent him from making a roster but did go 2/2 for 5 points. He also pulled down 5 boards.

Milwaukee received good bench minutes form Jarrid Famous & Stefhon Hannah. Famous has been solid in his limited minutes, showing a decent touch around the basket & pulling down rebounds. Hannah has had his moments in this year’s event and hit consecutive three’s in the third quarter.

Brian Butch played hard in his 19 minutes, with 9 points 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. He displayed his outside shot, swishing a three. He sent Henry Sims crashing over the sideline contesting a loose ball, knocking over the sideline trash can. Sims didn’t look happy but quickly got to his feet.

Bulls first round pick Marquis Teague has been very ordinary all week and continued today, going 3/11 for just the 6 points. He wasn’t much better on the defensive end, getting easily beat by Miles on a drive. Teague hasn’t shot well and has averaged more turnover than assists in his first summer league showing.

Former Houston draft pick Jermaine Taylor thrives in the summer league environment and top scored today without Jimmy Butler. Taylor has NBA athleticism however he is undersized without a reliable shot. He has improved since we last saw him in Vegas, making good decision with the ball today. He had a nice floater after effectively using a head fake to get open.

For Illinois Guard, Demetri McCamey showed his sweet stroke, making some good looking swishes off the bench for 11 points on 5/9 shooting. He was effective using his step back to create space. Olek Czyz played aggressive today for 8 points and 3 rebounds. He may head overseas to start his pro career having received attention from an Italian team.

Morrison got off to a hot start to the game, showing a little bit of hang time on one of his drives. After getting rejected midway through the opening period, he came straight back to nail a three. He ended the first draining back to back shots from deep for 12 first quarter points. Morrison has some athletic shortcomings but what he doesn’t lack is supreme confidence and self belief. He proved again this week that if he can see the basket and get his shot up, there's a good chance it’s going down. Chants of MVP were going around COX Pavilion with every shot Morrison made. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Former Pittsburgh center Gary McGhee played some good minutes off the bench. He isn’t the most talented of players but worked hard on the offensive boards (4). He got some opportunities however was blocked a few times going up under the basket.

Jarred Sullinger, Fab Melo & Kris Joseph only played 19 minutes each for Boston who shared court time in the last game. Sullinger looked better offensively, looking to score with both hands. He ran the floor well and displayed his good hands for a basket. He has struggled getting good looks this week but over time, here’s no reason to think that Sullinger couldn’t match or exceed the contribution someone like Big Baby Davis has made for the Celtics. Melo is limited offensively but displayed his shot blocking ability again swatting three shots. He also collected 6 points and 3 rebounds. Joseph ran the floor nicely for a flush but was quiet in his court time. He had 7 points 1 board and 2 blocks.

In the final game of 2012 summer league, the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame fast finishing Memphis Grizzlies, taking a 97-91 win. Mike Harris led the Timberwolves with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Harris plays a lot bigger than he actually is, hitting the boards hard and drivingto the basket. He had a couple of nice looks for 3 assists, including a backdoor to Wesley Johnson for a dunk & another to big man Paulo Prestes (4pts 10 rebs 2 assists).

Johnson again showed good shot selection in 24 minutes of court time. He connected on 2/5 threes and had a nice on dribble pull up. He finished with 14 points and 2 assists. Luke Sikma was relentless all game for Minnesota, collecting 8 points and 9 boards. He crashed the offensive boards finishing with 5 for the game. He also played some strong defense.

After being awarded the co-MVP with Damian Lillard earlier in the day, Josh Selby (11pts 1 rebound 6 assists) wasn’t as aggressive offensively as we’ve seen this week. He got hot in the 4th, making 3 three pointers late in the game. Down 2 in the last 30 seconds, Selby was open in the corner but couldn’t get the ball. Tony Wroten missed a lay-up & the Timberwolves scored shortly after to secure the win.

Wroten again displayed his athleticism, finishing a few dunks during the game. On one break, he decided to go himself and finish for the flush instead of making the pass. He also had a couple of steals. In the third quarter, he made a sweet look to a cutting Janning in what was one of the games best highlights. Wroten is at his best when driving to the basket. His outside shot needs some work however.

Matt Janning hasn’t shot the three well this week, but came out hot in the seconds half, draining 3 in a row. Janning hustled hard, fighting for a rebound then feeding Mitchell Watt for a dunk. Janning finished his final game with 16 points 6 rebounds and 2 assists on 6/8 shooting. The left-handed Watt put up 8 points 9 rebounds with 3 blocked shots., He showed his ability as a solid weak side defender, picking up a couple of bocks.

The Timberwolves finished this year’s summer league with a 4-1 record. Coby Karl told me after the game that he was happy with how the team played over their 5 games in Vegas and was a good effort for the team to go 4-1. Karl, who gets married this Friday, has yet to secure a role for next season.